French president calls on troops to be prepared in case of hostilities in Iraq

AP | 1/07/03

[kattracks]

PARIS (AP) -- President Jacques Chirac on Tuesday called on troops to be ready for deployment in case of hostilities, in the clearest suggestion so far that France would participate in military move against Iraq.

"To be prepared is at the heart of the soldier's job," Chirac said during a New Year's address to the armed forces. "Particularly, we have to be attentive to the way in which United Nations Security Council resolution 1441 is applied by Iraq."

Chirac said there was reason to believe that French forces will continue to be needed in certain "operational theaters," a reference to Ivory Coast, where more than 2,000 French troops are currently engaged.

However, he added that, "alas, other (theaters) could open up," in a reference to Iraq.

Paris has been opposed from the beginning to unilateral American action in Iraq and has demanded that Washington get U.N. Security Council approval before sending in the troops.

Chirac has won points at home and abroad with his tough stand against a unilateral U.S. strike that could come if Iraq does not prove it has given up all its weapons of mass destruction.

French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told French radio station RTL earlier Tuesday that the French army was not making specific preparations for an eventual war in Iraq but that "the French army is ready to fulfill its obligations when necessary."

Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[Psalm 73]

"Ha" to all of the NYTs-reading naysayers -
If Bush leads, they WILL follow!!!
France knows that they are at risk of becoming even MORE irrelevant...maybe they can tow their "aircraft carrier" to the Persian Gulf!

[Caipirabob]

French troops surrender to CNN photgrapher in Iraq during earlier campaign despite being part of allied forcese...

[BlueLancer]

But I don't want to go ... can't we just surrender to somebody instead?

[Izzy Dunne]

French president calls on troops to be prepared in case of hostilities in Iraq

... In a related story, the Acme Flag Company of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, has just received an order for 10,000 flags. "An odd order," says company president Joe Smith. "Most folks want colors on their flags, but these are ordered to be all white."

[zarf]

Obviously, the French got some guarantees regarding their oil interests.

They most certainly would not be participating out of any sense of obligation be on the right side of this issue.

Screw the frogs. If they make such great wine and cheese I'd say to hell with little creatins..

[zarf]

If they DIDN'T make such great wine and cheese I'd say to hell with little creatins..

[zarf]

If they DIDN'T make such great wine and cheese I'd say to hell with THE little creatins..

[zarf]

I surrender......UGH!

[mewzilla]

No doubt they're ironing their white flags as we type.

[bushfamfan]

It will be interesting to see when those countries continue to defend Iraq and not finding a "smoking gun". They know darn well that Iraq's got them, is working on them, it's a game. So, the UN will be openly humiliated when it fails yet again and the US forces, British(God bless the Brits), Aussies(about the only two nations with the guts and not cowardice) expose Iraq for what it's got and what the UN let it continue to build up. There is no way in hell the US is going to find it safe for a country like Iraq to obtain and have weapons of mass destruction to use.

[maestro]

?......Iraq needs French troops......?

sure.

/sarcasm

[Man of the Right]

I'm not a fan of Wesley Clark. However, in his memoirs Clark relates a tale of a French staff officer at his headquarters relaying intelligence to the Serbs throughout the Kosovo War. Similarly, Chevenement, the French Minister Minister, relayed intelligence to the Iraqs during Operation Desert Sheild, the build up to the Gulf War. When you factor French duplicity, cowardice and military incompetence, our hand would be strengthened if the French fought with the Iraqis.

[Man of the Right]

I hope the French fight with the Iraqis. Then success is inevitable.

[philosofy123]

France was never irrelevant. France's culture permiate the entire world. The US took France's advice to go through the UN in confronting Saddam.

Vive La France!!

[RJL]

Chirac said there was reason to believe that French forces will continue to be needed in certain "operational theaters," a reference to Ivory Coast, where more than 2,000 French troops are currently engaged.

Does France have a UN war resolution to be fighting in the Ivory Coast, or is this a unilateral action they have taken up all by themselves without input from the international community?